Author Tom Frank covered both nominating conventions, and offers colorful commentary on the candidates and the wackiest presidential race we've seen.Frank's most recent book, highly recommended, is Listen, Liberal: or, Whatever Happened to the Party of the People? His recent commentaries for The Guardian are here and here.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the Democratic and Republican conventions, Trump, Clinton, Sanders and other candidates. We note how the Democrats are selling the experience of their establishment candidate in an anti-establishment election year, and their failure to connect with white, working class males who are defecting to Trump. And in Philadelphia, the Democrats ignored the Sanders surge of progressives in favor of pandering to war hawks and free traders.

Frank also shares some moments from the GOP convention in Cleveland, and uses the frame he authored to discuss how Republicans are willing to vote against their self-interest, as he described in his seminal book, What's The Matter With Kansas?

Based on Trump's recent blunders, Frank believes that Clinton will win in November. And he accepts a $5 bet from your humble host.